NFL COLUMN

Fox, Panthers Sitting On Hot Seat

By IRA KAUFMAN

Published: Aug 12, 2007

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Jake and the Fox have engineered quite a run in Carolina, reaching one Super Bowl and two NFC Championship Games together in the past four seasons.

Now they have the look of endangered Panthers.

Last year's 8-8 mark doesn't sit well with owner Jerry Richardson, especially with dynamic playmakers like Steve Smith and Julius Peppers anchoring both sides of the ball.

Jake Delhomme, who couldn't move the chains last fall, is no longer the only viable option at quarterback.

Already, the Bill Cowher rumors are percolating in Charlotte, suggesting the ex-Steelers coach and Raleigh resident will replace John Fox and resurface with the Panthers in 2008 following a one-year hiatus.

"That's part of the game, I don't blink at that," said Fox, 49-38 in Carolina since taking over a 1-15 team in 2002. "I've said to Jake that in this profession, we're under attack. That's why we get compensated like we do. You can't shy away from that."

Delhomme isn't shy about much of anything.

Although he's always been a confident man, Delhomme was humbled a bit in 2006, when his erratic play in the clutch left the battered Panthers a game shy of a playoff berth.

The 2005 Panthers played Seattle for the right to advance to the Super Bowl, but Carolina dropped its first two regular-season games last season, while losing left tackle Travelle Wharton, center Justin Hartwig and middle linebacker Dan Morgan for the year.

Without a credible ground game, Delhomme tried to do too much. As usual, that led to not quite enough.

Smith and Keyshawn Johnson combined for some big catches, but Delhomme couldn't buy a completion on third down, where his 55.5 rating ranked 30th in the league, well behind a struggling rookie named Bruce Gradkowski.

"We didn't play good football," Delhomme said. "I was awful on third down, I just didn't get it done. We can try to use injuries as an excuse, but we didn't run it effectively - and we certainly didn't throw it effectively."

That's the kind of candor Fox craves from his leaders, and it's one of the reasons he remains firmly in Delhomme's corner, even with the addition of veteran David Carr in free agency.

While other teams scramble for quality backup quarterbacks, the Panthers boast an impressive tandem with plenty of experience.

In one of the great lost stats of 2006, Carr led the NFL in accuracy, firing at a 68.3 completion rate while scrambling behind Houston's bumbling offensive line.

Still, don't get the impression Carr is pressing Delhomme for the starting job.

"I feel good about Jake," Fox said. "I don't feel like he was a poor performer a year ago. The head coach and the quarterback get more credit and blame in this league than they deserve. This is what we sign up for, and you just have to go through it."

Even a mediocre year couldn't stem Carolina's recent mastery against the Bucs. The Panthers swept the series and have now won seven of eight meetings since Tampa Bay's 2002 championship season.

And in that span, Delhomme has thrown 13 touchdown passes and seven interceptions while the Panthers averaged 24 points per game.

Delhomme, 32, had a lousy year in 2006. He's the first to admit it, but his resume in crunch time suggests he'll rebound in a big way.

Any quarterback with a 5-2 record in the postseason and a 95.0 rating that ranks third all-time behind Joe Montana and Bart Starr isn't afraid of the big moment.

This guy's a winner, and he finds a way.

Bucs fans would like to forget Delhomme's 12-yard scramble on fourth-and-7 at Raymond James Stadium last year that set up John Kasay's last-second field goal in Week 3.

Coach Jon Gruden couldn't help but admire Delhomme's resourcefulness that muggy afternoon, when Chris Simms authored a profile in courage and Delhomme authored his ninth game-winning drive in the final two minutes or overtime.

Those are the kinds of plays that have endeared Delhomme to his head coach.

Beginning with the Sept. 9 opener at St. Louis, Fox and Delhomme are joined at the hip pads. Carr will tote a clipboard - Delhomme will carry Fox's future.

"We played three games without Jake last year and went 1-2," Fox said of Delhomme's right thumb injury and Chris Weinke's subsequent relief stint in December. "If we win one more of those games, we're in the playoffs, and who knows what could have happened. We learned a valuable lesson, and we're certainly glad David Carr is here."

Delhomme is eager to crank up his redemption song and restore Carolina's reputation as an NFC power.

He enjoys the challenge of facing the Bucs, singling out Derrick Brooks and Ronde Barber as the two defensive players he respects most in the league.

"It just didn't happen for us last year," Delhomme said, "and we're not used to that around here. To tell you the truth, it felt more like 3-13 than 8-8."